Saturday, December 13, 2008

Need vs. Want

Matt and I decided that Addie and Jax were old enough to understand and be included in a discussion about budget. So, we sat all three kids down and discussed what a budget is, living within your means, and most importantly need vs. want. I told them that when I was younger my mom taught me this principle. We gave them some examples like food vs. toy at the store.

Some of their examples were great. A new doll? want. Heat? want. They totally got it. I was so proud. Anyway, we then talked about why we wanted to be careful with our money to start saving for Emerson, etc., etc., etc. Again, they were totally on board and didn't seem to be upset when we told them we were going to put the responsibility on them when it came time to decide things like that. We had the perfect opportunity to put our plan into action. That night we were headed to the BYU mens basketball game, and they pretty much ALWAYS want to go to the concession stand. Somehow, we made it the whole night without the kids asking for anything. But my favorite part was the conversation Jax and I had on the way home. Without prompting, Jax said, "Hey mom, when we were at the game, I thought that I wanted popcorn, but I know that I wanted it, I didn't need it, so I didn't ask for it." I was so proud of my little 4 year old that night. Here's to staying strong and keeping this principle going in our house. . .

5 comments:

Jackie said...

That is so precious. It is so nice to know that some things actually get through!

Anonymous said...

That is so cool......... You guys are awesome!!!!!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

That's kind of sweet and I like that term alot too! Love, Tim/Uncle Tim

Anonymous said...

The sweetness of gospel principles, at all levels, are precious and life saving. God bless you mommies and daddies for passing it along with such style...Love, mom/gma

Anonymous said...

You guys are the best examples I can use in my sunday school class. Today our lesson was on teaching children and I always use a story or two from the fam. It doesn't get any better. Thanks. Grandpa D.